AN: Hi guys. Sorry for the late update. I had the flu. I don't know if I'm completely satisfied with the way this chapter turned out -I had a lot more planned for it, but I really do not want to delay this post more than I already have. So without further ado…

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff that aren't mine.

Chapter 8 (Hot and Cold)

Bulma was quite surprised to see Vegeta finish the whole 'boar' -besides the piece she was given. Apparently Saiyans have abnormally large appetites. They still haven't spoken since she finished her tale of woe and adventure. He seemed to be digesting the information, along with all that meat he just had. She didn't tell him her suspicions about him being the possible father of her future son -she knew how that sort of pressure can make a person do irrational things, like swim away from home.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, he turned towards her.

'It seems your people -or rather -these shark people that you told me about, their prophecy might describe the entities that I'm training to beat in three years time.

'What -you mean the Metal things? Don't tell me you have a prophecy too -that would be just my luck.'

'I wouldn't call it a prophecy, but we have had warning from the future that a couple of androids would destroy the planet and that all of our warriors would perish by their hands in three years time. This is why I train -well, that and to best my rival.'

'What the heck are androids?'

'Artificial humans -I am lead to believe. They are supposedly made of metal and circuitry.'

'Can you please, for one moment, remember I am not from the surfaces and stop spewing things I don't understand.'

'What are you complaining about now, Woman? I cannot dumb things down any further for you.'

Bulma was exasperated. She didn't understand the concepts he was projecting. She didn't like feeling stupid, but there was a definite language barrier, despite the fact that they communicated telepathically. She sighed and tried to reign in her frustration, it must have been difficult for him as well, when she was explaining things. He did not complain as she did, just asked her to 'clarify'.

'Ok, I apologize.' She consented. 'What is this circuitry you speak of?'

He seemed bewildered at her query, but answered nevertheless. 'Circuitry is technology that allows the transmission of electrical pulses via conductive tracts.'

'Oh! I think I understand. The Eelians might utilize this circuitry -as you call it. They are the more technologically advanced species of the Merrealm. Wow, that means humans have come far as well… Artificial humans -great Neptune they're even more advanced than Eelians! One question though: Eelians generate electricity from their own bodies or use captured electric eels and as power sources, how do humans have access to it? Do they capture eels as well?'

'Kami your people really are backwards.' He deadpanned, 'People can convert different types of energy to electricity: mechanical energy by means of rotating motors, exothermic chemical reactions, heat and combustion. It's basic science Woman.'

He really had a way of pushing her buttons, which is why she really had no choice but to give him a piece of her mind.

'Hey, buddy -I don't like that patronising tone you're taking. For your information it is not as simple underwater as it is here on land. Water itself is a conductor and therefore directing electricity becomes that much harder. Also -this heat you land dwellers have such easy access to -it isn't as freely available where I come from. We do not have a sun that bakes the earth or air that burns so easily so you can just shut up about how backwards we are. We don't need electricity -we're thriving without it.

And another thing - at present, we are at war with the only merrace who know anything about electricity generation so it's not like we can just swim on over and ask them to share their information… do I find electricity interesting -sure! Would I have liked to learn more about it -why not? The fact of the matter is, that unfortunately I chose to join the army instead of becoming a scientist -which is the better of two options considering the limited resources and knowledge we have on the subject. All my life my priority was keeping my people safe and secure in their territory and while we may not know much about basic science -as you put it, I couldn't be less ashamed of my race, my Queendom and what I've accomplished during my lifetime.'

"Hmm" it seemed this was Vegeta's default reply when he couldn't say anything mean. He was a man with few sentiments, Bulma noted, but at least he gave credit where it's due.

'Anyway,' she continued, much calmer 'back to the topic at hand.'

'-What, you're finally done yapping?' He said in a bored town. Just like that, her ire was up again.

Why that - she couldn't even complete the thought and the next minute they were both standing face to face, Bulma spitting mad and Vegeta... bloody amused, as always.

'You better wipe that smirk of your face or I'll do it for you.' She threatened.

"Hah!" 'As if you can.'

For some reason, his blatant enjoyment of her anger caused those pesky tingles of arousal to surface again, despite the fact that she just wanted to smack that smirk of his face. Why did his lips look so delicious all of a sudden? Mating urges were damn confusing.

She watched his nostrils flare ever so slightly and his taunting smirk became a lazy grin.

'You better watch it, Woman. You're nearing my last nerve.' His mental voice was thick and syrupy, it made her heart pound and heat to flush south again. 'I don't think you'll like what you'll find when you're on it.'

What is he talking about now again - oh, his Nerve 'Oh yeah?' She bluffed, 'I think you're all posture and no bite.'

To that he threw back his head and laughed, displaying said instruments of biting that looked very capable of their job -especially those slightly oversized incisors. When he looked at her again with those slightly lidded eyes, he suddenly seemed all the predator that she had no doubt he was. He then slowly reached out, and then his palm was on her face and his thumb tracing the curve of her lower lip.

'You are something else… Bulma' he sent her, almost absently while his eyes were preoccupied by the line his thumb made. He then caught her eyes once more, and Bulma caught a flash of tenderness to accompany that small smile. It was the same, genuine grin he showed her once before, while they were supposedly mid-battle in the clearing earlier today. It warmed her heart.

'You… said my name.' Bulma whispered, still half bewildered at his sudden shift from predatory to tenderness.

Then, as if diving into the icy ocean water after baking in the sun whole day, the emotion was gone from his eyes, and he sat down, almost stiffly, and stared into the fire. Bulma took a while longer to come back down to earth. He seemed to be brooding again, she noted from his scrunched up eyebrows.

'So…' she started again, timidly 'You say these androids are the same people from the Mershark Prophecy. How did you come to learn of them -if, as you say -it wasn't from a prophecy?'

He was quiet for a while, seeming to decide whether or not to engage with her again, then he stood up. His back was to her and Bulma sensed a rebuffal in his manner even before he spoke.

'I must get back to my training, Woman.'

Bulma sighed -back to Woman again, she thought sadly.

'Do you Saiyans not need sleep?' She said and couldn't hold back the bite in her tone, being rejected stings.

'I'll sleep when I'm dead -which won't be in three years time and definitely won't be by the hands of a couple of overglorified toasters.'

Then he did the flying away thing again, much to Bulma's annoyance. He again managed to whip up so much wind with his ascent -who knows what else has gotten caught in her hair this time.

Well, she thought, it's a good thing it bedtime for me- at least I can get cleaned up in the ocean.

For the next few days, it was back to square one with her island companion -He'd work out. She's sit silently on the sideline and watch. To say Bulma was getting frustrated by the cold shoulder was an understatement. Problem is, she really did not know what to make of his aloofness. She thought they were getting along so well -except for the spontaneous bursting out in battle and threats to the other's life. She thought of going back to exploring the jungle, but not even that held the appeal that it previously had. Sitting in the clearing, watching Vegeta in one of his 'kata' routines, Bulma had an idea. She knew the moves by heart already, so she thought to join in. If that didn't solicit a reaction she didn't know what will. She fell in, just shy of his peripheral. It didn't take long for him to notice her absence and trace her to his flank, imitating him. He then froze, mouth gaping while he watched her copy his moves.

Score one for Bulma she thought, attempting to hide her pleasure at his dumbfounded stare.

'Woman, what are you doing?' He asked, confusion most prevalent in his mental tones.

'Training' was her simple reply.

'For what?' This time his tone hinted at exasperation.

'The androids -if they're coming to destroy the planet and I'm somehow instrumental to their not achieving that objective, according to the prophecy -then I want to be ready for when they arrive. How long are earth years?' She continued in a no nonsense manner, imitating his aloofness.

He sighed audibly, from the corner of her eye she caught him pinching the bridge of his nose.

'You have lost your mind, Woman.' He looked at her then. Bulma, who had at that moment paused -expecting him to reply to her query, quickly resumed her copied kata under his obvious scrutiny.

She was doing it all wrong, was the first thought that flitted through his brain as he watched her try and imitate his moves. This thought was shortly followed by how if she squatted a little lower he would see a lot more of her skin than a tattooed leg. A very pleasant thought, no doubt but not very practical if the crazy woman was serious about joining his training regime. She would be an endless distraction. They were however, very nice legs -well shaped with strong muscles. Which brought him to his next conclusion -she had absolutely no ki control. Where her imitated movements were accurate to a tee, the accompanying energy flow in her body was all over the place. He sighed deeply and traced the energy in her body. She seemed to be operating on instinct -the majority of the energy was being distributed in her lower body. It was understandable -she seemed very unfamiliar with her legs, which meant she concentrated on moving them more often than her upper body therefore she was overcompensating with the energy flow through them.

Constantly comparing her movement to that of his own, Vegeta was distinctly aware of the moment when a high kick would expose to him what lay above those porcelain legs. Caught between wanting to see if it's as blue there as on her head and wanting to correct her butchering of his kata, Vegeta left it till the last move before deciding: all in good time. Besides, he wasn't a pervert -he would wait for the privilege to explore with full consent later on.

'Woman, you are buggering my kata.' He stated. She paused, one leg bent, knee at her abdomen.

'What do you mean, Vegeta? It looks exactly like yours.'

'Looks, yes, but my routines involve a lot more than just moving. You need to focus your energy and release it at the appropriate times to the appropriate limbs.'

This seemed to surprise her.

'How can you tell what my energy is doing?' She asked, dropping the leg completely, much to Vegeta's relief.

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta set his mind to his lecture.

'If you can sense the energy in your own body, it is possible to sense it in others' as well. Although this is not an easy skill.

Energy is all around us. The warriors of this planet call it ki. Some call it chi -others chakra. Nevertheless -it is the same thing: potential energy accessible and convertible into light, heat and barriers by only the most skilled of warriors. Now, some people are born with a latent power level, in other words: a natural inclination to manipulate a certain amount of ki -like Saiyans. For others it's a skill that comes with years of practice, focus and meditation. You, I sense, have a naturally high power level, but it seems you haven't been trained in the correct manner to access it. For example -your trident is an instrument of energy manipulation, is it not?'

She nodded, brows furrowed in deep concentration.

'When you use it, the gem imbedded in its centre glows and you can direct beams of energy with it. On my planet we used the same type of gems to teach our younglings to draw energy from the environment, into their bodies and out by means of these crystals. However, it seems you have never graduated from crystals as a means to direct energy. Once they get a feel for ki by means of crystals, our young ones attempt the direction of output energy without it. It takes some trial and error, but after a while your body adapts to the ki's ebb and flow and you don't need the crystal any more.'

'Wow. I never knew this energy manipulation stuff was so complex. I use it mostly instinctively… I guess if I experimented more I probably would be better at it. As is -I already have a reputation at home of doing risky and unconventional energy things with my trident.'

'Your trident is a crutch. Lose it. This is your first assignment. Now leave me in peace so I may finish my training.' Vegeta stated sternly, he then returned to his kata.

As she moved to walk away, Vegeta suddenly remembered.

'Wait,' he said -reaching into a pocket in his training pants. He found the capsule he was looking for, popped it and through it on the ground. From the smoke appeared a latched box. Vegeta checked Bulma's face, amused by her astonished expression, and then said 'Earth technology' by way of explanation -because Kami knew she'd probably start bombarding him with questions about capsulation soon enough.

From the box he pulled out a spare bodysuit in navy blue and tossed it to her.

'Wear this -it's appropriate training gear.' To that she looked down at her own apparel and threw him a quirky grin. Then she left -body suit in hand and a saucy swing to her hips. The woman really was something.

Vegeta sighed as she departed -now he'll be distraction free for two weeks at least. That's how long it takes the average Saiyan child to be weaned from energy crystals. Who knows -maybe he was overestimating her and it takes longer. If it takes longer than three weeks he should probably check up on her and help out, he decided. Until then, back to his own training.

At present, Vegeta's training mostly consisted routine workouts as a warm up and warm down and meditating the rest of the time. He knew he was close to reaching the legendary -if the incident in the Gravity Trainer was anything to go by, but there was something still blocking him. He needed to revisit the exact channels his ki took in his mind. He thus uses the time mediation to prod different parts of his mind and body with energy, injecting ki until the he simulates the pathway he felt brought him to the brink of Super Saiyan. He knew it accompanies a sense of desperation and therefore his mind constantly dwells on scenarios in which he felt that emotion. Suffice to say, Meditation wasn't a very pleasant experience for Vegeta.

The Woman found his camp again by nightfall. She was carrying her trident in one hand and looked as frustrated as Vegeta felt. She plunked down next to him, unceremoniously and asked:

'So what did animal did you slaughter this time?' Her vexation lifted Vegeta's mood a little. He really didn't know why he enjoyed it so much when she was angry, but it excited him.

'One of the planet's giant reptilian species -dinosaurs I think they call it.'

'It's massive' she stated. She was wearing his body suit, it left even less to the imagination than that semi-see through metal sheath she used to wear. He felt a distinct tightening in his groin and decided, not for the first time, that the woman will be the death of him. Still -her presence had made his days a lot more enjoyable, despite the accompanying sexual frustration.

Deciding that a little teasing was in order, Vegeta started the conversation this time.

'So, Woman, you've never copulated with one of your kind before?' At first she seemed startled by his inquiry, then a beautiful pink blush bloomed across her cheeks.

'No. I have told you this before.' Her tone hinted at scepticism.

'I am simply confused as to whether the it was the breeding that was impossible, or the sex.'

'I, uhm… breeding. Why are we on this topic anyway?' She was starting to get angry. Perfect.

'...So you were just prude by nature then.' He stated, grinning like a cheshire cat. It was so easy to push her buttons. She gasped, appalled, and the next thing he knew an energy beam was heading for him. He batted it into the sky with ease and watched her embarrassed anger skyrocket.

'Why you! I was not a prude you.. You pervert! I was a princess! I had social expectation and responsibilities!' By this time they were both upright, Bulma was trying her damndest to hit him with her trident and every time he dodged, her efforts became more desperate and sloppy. Vegeta was enjoying himself -she might be a distraction, but she was a welcome one at that moment - she banished the dark thoughts still lingering in his mind from his meditation earlier. Deciding he was done playing around, Vegeta grabbed her trident by its blade when she swung again. Her surprise turned into outright shock when he hauled her body against his. All humor gone, he whispered in her mind

'And now, Woman? You may have been a princess back home but out here you are just as I am; without your subjects and your titles, you are about as important as a fish out of water. No social expectation. No responsibilities.'

She was breathing heavily against him, each breath pushed her breast up against him. Vegeta felt like it took almost all his self containment not to push her up against a tree and rip off that tight training suit he suddenly regretted giving her. His nose told him that her body was ready, but the strains of panic he could detect in her eyes painted another picture. Dammit. Not yet.

He let her go and she sunk, seemingly bonelessly to the floor. A change of subject was in order, for both their sakes.

'How is your ki training progressing?'

She took a while to answer and stammered out a 'fine' when she finally regained her senses. Vegeta grinned at her discombobulated state. After a few more ticks of silence her thoughts reached him, hesitant at first.

'Vegeta?'

"Hmm" was his consent

'Tell me about your planet.'

Not a welcome topic chance -Vegeta thought, but the needed bucket of ice water on his raging hormones. He decided, this time to oblige her.

Vegeta took a deep breath and looked to the stars, knowing that the light of Planet Vegeta's sun has long since stopped shining in this galaxy. Vegeta considered giving her the watered down tale that would preserve her respect for him, but decided against it. Somewhere over the course of their acquaintance he had come to value her too much to have her believing a lie, which in itself is a terrifying thought. Caring about people is a weakness that Vegeta had learnt early on in life could easily be exploited. Those type of attacks hurt more than physical assault… and yet, that Buffoon Kakarot has many friends and loved ones and his need to protect them seems the root of his power, so there might be some method to his madness. It was a calculated risk. Opening up to her would mean recoloring the rose-tinted image she had of him, but she needed to know all the horrors that made up his life in order for her to make an informed decision about him and his intentions towards her.

Recounting all his endeavors to another person was oddly liberating, even if the majority of his tale was met with poorly veiled horror and unabashed pity. Vegeta found himself sharing more than he planned to -more than the cold hard facts. As his emotions spilled from his thoughts unfiltered, Vegeta felt a massive weight lift off his shoulders. When he concluded the burning in his chest, that he felt every time he thought of Frieza and what he had done to his race, dulled somewhat. Even if he didn't get his revenge -he was still relieved that the Galactic overlord met his end at the hand of a Saiyan -even if said Saiyan's heritage is questionable at most.

The Woman sat quietly beside him, a haunted look in her eyes. Vegeta silently mourned the death of her ignorance. She no doubt saw him a completely different light now. She could now know him for the monster he truly was. She would leave -he thought -someone as good as her will not want to be affiliated by someone as tainted as he was. Will she even be able to look him in the eyes again?

Rather than staying to face her rejection, Vegeta decided that he would leave. She didn't even acknowledge his departure. After a while, she left too.

AN: Don't kill me -I know things are a bit up in the air right now but I have big plans for the next chapter. Actually -it should have been this chapter but life happens. So until next time…

PS. Your comment will be greatly appreciated.